《Diewars》 1. Discovers a hole "Josh!" a howl of rage erupted behind me in the cold night air as I desperately ran on the chilled road. "If I catch you, you are fucking dead!" I threw a glance behind, my face filled with an expression of terror as I saw the five thugs. Their expressions were set and angry, and I could see an iron pipe tightly clenched in one hand. They were not going to stop at bruises this time. Stumbling on a small dip in the road, my glance backwards at my chasers cost me as I desperately wheeled my arms through the air, fighting to regain my balance even as I continued to move. If I fell, it was all over. Thankfully my feet pounded solidly on the ground once again as my new shoes gave me better grip than ever before. "We told you to fucking stay away!" he bellowed behind me, "This is our turf! And you thought you could come back, and steal from us!" he screamed, almost incompetent in his rage. I knew it was a stupid idea, I wasn''t that dumb. But my shoes were almost tatters, and if I couldn''t replace my shoes, well. They would kick me from school. I''ve been in trouble before, and if I''m kicked from school again, they would remove me from the dorm and I would be effectively homeless. My parents? They don''t exist. My mother made that clear with her latest and greatest husband who happened to hate me, something they had in common. My father? I''m sure he would take me in... If he wasn''t six feet under. Government aid? Are you sane? They would send me back to my mother, and if she didn''t kill me first then her husband would. That wasn''t an option, even getting CPS or something involved would take much too long. It was only a few damn months until I turned 18, but of course my troubles refuse to die down. I''m not even allowed to take a part time job which was ridiculous. I needed new shoes, I couldn''t afford new shoes. And the only place I knew to get shoes with a 100% discount was in Angelo''s turf. I''d been caught stealing from there before, and I was given a black and blue warning to stay on the straight and narrow path. And now? I''m going to die. Of course I knew I wouldn''t truly die, but he only gives "kind" mercy to the new and young. He made it clear he no longer considers me either. The cobbled road was almost empty at this time of the night, the air almost silent but for my panting gasps and the heavy thudding of their shoes following behind. If I had my old shoes, I was keenly aware I would''ve slipped by now. It was a complicated feeling to be sure. Around us the tall and solemn houses rose around us, old and sturdy. The road soon ran out and I faced a choice, to turn left and towards the school and my dorm, or right and towards the park where hopefully, there might be someone who would help me. The dorm wasn''t going to help me, I instinctively knew that. If anything, the security guard will probably pretend he can''t see me or hear me when he realizes I''m dragging trouble behind me. This wasn''t the nice part of town. Slanting right towards the park, my heart stopped as my feet slipped beneath me as I made the turn. Sending me tumbling forwards onto the rough stone road as my knees roared in pain at the impact, scraping against the stone paved road. They were not even yelling anymore, far too out of breath for that as their feet pounded against the ground making for my fallen figure. Desperately I clawed myself upright, barely escaping the first grasping hand that reached to grab my shirt. Dancing to the left, I escaped a wild swing as another figure attempted to smash me across the head with a fist before stumbling to my feet and beginning to run. I felt a hand claw it''s way down my back, unable to find a grip as he stumbled and lost the lead he had. I''m so fucked. I could only run, my lungs rasping and my legs numb with pain as I made towards the center of the town, the park. Their feet were behind me, only mere meters as I desperately looked around for someone to try help me. Empty. The place was empty. I stumbled before catching myself, numbly running on. I''m dead. I approached the middle of the concrete square with legs unconsciously giving up the fight, body slowing down and behind me I heard vicious panting and a low rumbling of chuckles. I stumbled to a stop, turning around with my face filled with despair even as they leered at me. Vicious and knowing they had won. Angelo hoarsely breathed, grinning maliciously. Fumbling at his clothes as I watched in horror, he laughed between breaths as he fished out a pair of gray knuckle dusters and slipped them on his fists. "When we are done with you" he harshly said, his voice panting heavily, "You''re going to the hospital". "If you''re lucky" one of the others muttered as they surrounded me, cutting off any hopes of escape. I looked around, I knew there was no one around. But I had to look just the same. Surely, someone? But it''s 3am, there was no one around at this time of the night. I had hoped there would be someone here, a guard that doesn''t want to fill in a report perhaps. But the park was empty as I was screwed. With despair, I knew down to my gut what was going to happen. I could see a baseball bat in a panting wheezing kid as he caught up, a pipe held by another and the grim set on their faces did not promise an easy time. I''m not getting out of this without broken bones. My shoulders hunched in fear and my eyes closed, body shivering in terror as I waited for him to start. "Open your eyes" Angelo snarled, still not having laid hands on me. I refused, standing still. He already intends to beat me, what. He''s going to beat me worse? "Open them" he hissed, his voice low and rasping with hate. "Or I will cut you" I felt my stomach drop, it could get worse. Only shops surrounded us, no one to hear. They whispered about how a girlfriend had a night out with Angelo, her boyfriend was beyond angry. A few days later, her boyfriend went missing and the police closed it as a suicide. People stopped talking pretty fast. The body turned up in the river a few days later. His father had influence, even from there. Reluctantly I opened them again, expression like I wanted to cry. He saw that and his face spread into a nasty grin of victory. He enjoyed the look in my eyes, I could see it. As he swaggered back, preparing to rush me and smash his knuckle dusters into my face; We all felt it then, a small rippling that vibrated deep into our bones. A tiny whoosh in our ears, a slight feeling of disorientation. We all reeled, everyone off balance for a single instant and then I saw it, a tiny upright rod of light rapidly expanding behind Angelo''s back. It was already two hands wide by the time I recovered my feet and made a split second decision. A voice trembled into our ears as I made my decision, but I had no time to listen. This is definitely otherworldly, no one would be testing something like that in this town. Likely benign, tiny chance of hostile. And the chances that it would be something desirable is very very high. Which means, the others around me are never going to give me a chance to take it. I either grab it now, or I regret it later. "Dimensional Wars" an inhuman voice hissed out, seemingly from everywhere. My feet were already rushing towards Angelo, he flinched, caught off guard by the sudden resistance and the strangeness in the air and I pushed past him. "Rifts are" the voice continued to hiss out as Angelo let out a shout and tried to grab me in reflex, I reached out my hand to grab whatever was in the light as I made one desperate lunge towards the rippling air. I grasped nothing, my hands touching warm air as the air suddenly shivered and expanded to half a meter wide in a single instant. I fell forwards onto my face impacting a smooth warm surface. My face stung with pain, my nose hurt something fierce and my knees throbbed in sympathy. Blinking in surprise, I lifted my head up to see a huge circular room, doors after doors of the same rippling light alongside the walls, and beyond those doors were scenes, all varying and all different. I barely caught a glimpse in wide-eyed wonder before glancing behind with terror with realization that this isn''t going to help. They can still get me, inhuman as this was. Behind me the figures of Angelo and his mates were shocked, gazing at me and the room behind me with surprise. With anger, he looked at me and sneered, stepping towards me. The voice continued, ignoring everything that was happening. "Rifts are spawning throughout the world in every city, through them you can access the Dimensional Wars hub." With surprise, Angelo''s hand met sudden resistance. The rippling of the doorway firmly preventing him from coming through. "But beware humans, for only one person may enter. And until they leave or die, no one else can step inside the rift to be the hero." His eyes narrowed dangerously as he looked at my collapsed position on the ground, then he glanced down at my feet which were still sticking out. With terror, I barely pulled them in on time as he tried to stomp on them, pin me to the ground so that he may drag me out. My body was now completely inside the room, and as I watched him with fear and a slowly rising hope. He prodded the rift, angrily stepping aside so that his friend could swing the iron pipe which landed ineffectively. Finally, he glared hatefully at me. "Come out", his voice sounded out clearly. His face dark with anger and his eyes promising me death. I scrabbled away in response, moving further into the room of doorways and away from him. Neither of us considered the strange state about us, so focused was I on my death, and him on his rage. "The one who represents your dimension will fight for your right to live. There can only be 20 dimensions. Support your chosen hero with all your might, for they represent your survival" He froze, he clearly heard all of that. Thinking quickly, his gaze narrowed slowly and he finally sneered at me. "You can''t do this" he promised darkly, "You need to step out now, and I''ll step in. No one will ever know it was you. If you do that, then we will not hurt you. You will get enough money to move away. We''ll even leave your younger sister alone" I gulped, my thoughts turning towards what he said. "Come on" he wheedled, a nasty tone in his voice. "If they find out you''re the one representing the Earth. You know they''ll do anything to replace you, even if it means death" he slyly smiled. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it He would tell them who I am, I knew this. He would try his hardest to kill me. I didn''t even have a surety that he would keep his promise if I stepped out. Wait. "I don''t have a younger sister?" He scowled "Blonde hair, I saw you in the markets with her" "That was my classmate, she just wanted to talk" I hurriedly explained, there was no way I''m dragging Emily into this. He scowled. "Just fucking step out" he dangerously said, half pulling something that glinted of metal out of his pocket as his angry eyes glared at me. I shook my head, I wouldn''t trust him even if I wanted to. He smiled with cold satisfaction as he finally pulled it out of his pocket, I belatedly realized with a surge of terror exactly what it was as he pointed towards my face and fired. A loud bang rang out and I stumbled backwards, convinced for a second I had been shot. With my eyes wide open, the doorway didn''t even ripple as the deformed bullet stopped cold and dropped to the ground. A gun? He just shot a fucking gun at me? It barely even occurred to me to wonder why the bang wasn''t as loud as it should be. The goons were cradling their ears in pain even as his face was twisted into an absolute expression of hate. Not only had I defied him, I had taken what we both knew could be something great. I scrambled even further away, further from the madman. I was the first person to enter the rift, and there''s no bloody way I''m leaving. Not when he''s standing out there. He was now screaming at me, threatening to kill my parents and Emily, to hurting my friends and ruining my life. I quavered, but forcibly I finally turned away. Ignoring the screams from behind as I sought to explore my situation for the first time. Finally I settled my eyes onto the rest of the room. I had already noticed the room was circular. Inlaid into the white softly glowing walls were hundreds of rifts, doorways that led to many different places. I could see different areas, from places I vaguely recognized as famous cities to desolate areas that shone with harsh sunlight, black Africans staring back at me from afar dressed in simple and light clothing. The ceiling was the same shade of white as the walls, a gentle dome that enclosed the entire place. A rough estimate had it at 60 meters wide. The people on the other side of the doors had already seen me, with hands pressing against the walls they knew it was impassible. A few continued to try test it, but others had taken to calling at me. Yelling at me to come over. Some of them were yelling in languages I didn''t understand while others had taken to quietly standing away and watching me and the room with caution. Yet others looked at me with pity, having seen the scene that followed me. My adrenaline ran through my veins furiously, I had already decided not to give up on this place. I still wasn''t sure if it was good fortune, but nothing waited for me back home and I strongly believed that if I gave up now, I would regret it. Nothing had gone right for me, I wouldn''t give up on the one chance I had. Ignoring the catcalling and the imploring shouts, I thought back to what the voice had said. I tried asking out loud a question to the voice, but the room ignored me. I looked instead to the last obvious structure inside the room, I had avoided it until now just because of how ominous it looked. Inlaid into the ground in the center of the room was a slightly raised black circle, a meter wide. It seemed to absorb light, so dark was the material that I could only get the impression it was black. I originally had thought it was a hole actually, but when I placed my head on the floor I could see that there was a slight curve as it rose. And finally I tested it by poking it with a finger cautiously. It felt like smooth cold stone, and nothing happened after making contact. Nor when I pressed it to see if it would sink. Or when I tried to scratch it with the key to my dorm. Not even a mark. The voice still had not said anything after it finished talking originally, and I hesitated as I thought of stepping onto the black circle. I thought about what had been said, and I knew it was asking for a hero. Someone to fight. Someone I''m not. Should I really go ahead with this? Most people don''t know who I am yet, if I run through one of the doorways that seemed abandoned and undiscovered, I might still have the chance to redo my life in a different part of the world. I glanced back towards the doorway I had entered through, Angelo was screaming at me, his face an angry red and his voice hoarse. My heart trembled again, he would definitely do anything he can to destroy me. I know he''s just a small time bully, but the threats that spilled made me tremble. The doorways didn''t stop him from screaming at me and even other doorways were quieting down and looking at him with concerned expressions. He''s screamed my full name a few times too, identifying me to everyone here. At least 20 minutes had passed by now, the noise steadily growing as everyone expressed and yelled their own thoughts and demands. "Boy!" I heard someone bellow, momentarily drowning out the others. I glanced over to see an impressive muscular man in a military uniform, a full beard covering his weathered face in a nearby door. "Let us talk!" he yelled in a thick Russian accent, his face looked fierce and his expression had a wild grin on it. Behind him, I could see traces of a military installation. Every place in the doorways seemed to be the center of something, a city, some tribes and now a military installation? The guys in the background seemed panicked, but he didn''t seem to notice as he grinned towards my direction. The rifts seemed to be targeting places of high importance and high concentrations of people. For a second I wondered if the lizard people had a door too. "Do not fear!" he declared, "Mother Russia protects you!" he laughed happily at seeing he had my attention. I hesitated again, the other doors around me were imploring me to listen, that they would help me any way they can. Some offered me help, others offered to replace me. This Russian though, he seemed to be the only one who actually had authority. His manner felt reassuring, and I wouldn''t be wrong to say it was the sight of a friendly and reliable face that made me step towards him, his confidence bolstering mine. I stopped a solid meter away from the doorway as he grinned happily at me, the yells filling the background like a crowded death metal concert. I couldn''t help but like him already, even if I had known him for less than a second and he looked like a bear. "You know more details what is this?" he asked, comfortingly and with a gentle tone. Wetting my dry lips, I shook my head "It didn''t tell me anything" as the noise seemed to die down a little, a few catching his words and listening intently for the answer. "Ah, zat is a shame" he murmured. "This is interesting place" he laughed, peering behind me to stare at the room. "Do you know if I can take a look?" he enquired with a raised brow. My heart fell a little, he wanted in. He clearly already knew that he couldn''t enter normally, so he was asking if there''s a way I can let him inside. And again, the voice said that only one person can represent the hopes of humanity, until that person leaves. So when I leave the room. "I don''t know how" I reluctantly admitted, "I don''t think anyone else can enter while I''m here" "Ah" he sighed deeply, "I was afraid zat would be the case" he shook his head. "Don''t worry boy, we will help you" he smiled. "Mother Russia protects us all" "I''m not coming out" I warned him, I already knew that the doorways prevented people from hurting me. His smile didn''t falter, "I wouldn''t dream of it!" he proclaimed, "You came in here first, so you should be rewarded!" I heard a loud noise come from a nearby door, a steady rattle of gunfire. Throwing a startled glance, my heart fell a bit. A steady rain of red metal was impacting the doorway and falling to the ground, the gunfire was clearly aiming at me. I looked at the Russian and he seemed suitably angry as he growled. "Wait!" he commanded me, "I will fix this" he promised. He turned his head and snapped something off in Russian, there was a reply and he scowled again. The few glimpses of the uniforms through the doorway of gunfire showed they were dissimilar to the Russian''s uniform. It likely wasn''t in the same country, but they too appeared to be military. Either way, I don''t think I''m valued very highly. And I know that the Russian, friendly as he seems and as much as I want to believe in him; He''s not trying to help me, he wants a huge piece of the pie. And I''m holding it. I knew this deep inside, I knew there was no reason they should be on my side. I just happen to have the pie no one else can take. But it still hurt. I looked around the rest of the room and my eyes settled on the center of the floor, the raised black circle. The Russian had come back after moving out of sight, he called out to me but I ignored him. I began to step away as he hurriedly said something, but I didn''t care to listen. I wanted to let someone else take over, but I wanted to be alone even more. I finally strode forwards and stepped onto the circle. And that same alien voice rasped through the air, stifling the cries and entreaties coming from the doorways as they finally ceased talking and listened intently. "All that fits inside the bounds of the disk may be taken with you, links to the outside world will penetrate through without difficulties." There was a loud bang, I looked towards the doorway and saw Angelo had fired his gun again. Furiously he fired again and again as the voice finished, momentarily drowning it out for a single instant. Why was he still there? Finally after a few seconds I heard a soft whisper, I intuitively knew that this wasn''t a global broadcast, but a message that only occurred in my surroundings, something only we could hear. "If you wish to activate the disk, say ''transport''" A sudden stillness fell over the doorways as everyone processed those words. Then the doorways exploded with desperate yelling, begging me to reconsider. Not to go blindly. That I am not worthy. The Russian yelled at me to wait, that I am not prepared. Angelo screamed that he''ll kill my parents. I whispered the word, guilt wrapping around my heart at the people I was surely dooming. "Transport" 2. And another hole "Transport" The last sound not even escaping my mouth before my vision flickered as I felt a brief falling sensation, all too abruptly correcting itself as I stood on a solid surface again. Before me lay the same softly glowing walls, the same identical room but for the doors that were now missing. What replaced them were just three, evenly spread out and clearly colored without a hint of transparency. I wouldn''t have thought they were doors, but for the familiar shape and the faint rippling. I first looked at the purple door, trying to see though the surface when the voice unexpectedly spoke, again using the localized voice. "This is the community hub, you can meet other players there" "Players?" "Other heroes in the contest between dimensions. Henceforth referred to as players in the grand game of Dimensional Wars, heroes of their respective homeworlds" I blinked in surprise, I hadn''t expected the voice to actually answer my question. I turned my gaze towards the gray door. "This is the challenge room, here you can earn points and risk your life completing the challenges set forth" I shivered and finally looked towards the last door of soft green. "This is the living quarters, here you will be given the basic necessaries required for upkeep. If you wish to improve on this, you must spend your points" "Just what are points?" I asked, the voice had mentioned them a few times without explaining anything. I waited, but the voice didn''t respond. Why would it have answered my previous question, but ignored this? The adrenaline high was finally wearing off and I could feel just how tired I was becoming. Quickly walking towards the soft green door, I couldn''t help but flinch a little as I first pressed my hand through the solid seeming surface without encountering any pressure, then followed through with my body. The temperature didn''t fluctuate, but it was still a creepy feeling to see your body disappearing into a wall. Much like the previous room, the walls here glowed too with the same level of light. But horrifyingly, something was missing. I looked with a dismayed expression at the simple spartan room. No really. It was just a simple, bare, room. No bedding, no cupboards, not even a table. Just a bare room. "Your upkeep has been determined, you require a bed, bathroom and food" the voice spoke. A darker door with the same glowing effect seemed to reveal itself on the wall as if I had overlooked it previously, a normal door handle forming in place. A thin mattress, pillow and blanket appeared in the same manner, just slipping into view. Sitting on the ground next to the mattress was a single loaf of hard black bread. This looked... Worse than my room back home. I didn''t quite want to check, but I reluctantly opened the bathroom door to reveal that- yep. That''s a hole in the center, one that looked like a hole into the void. Really, it''s literally a circular hole with no other decorations. Not even a seat or raised lid. But it looks big enough to slip a foot inside... I shivered. Another thing that stood out about the room was the way it gently sloped towards the hole, and the wooden bucket that sat there innocently next to the wall, filled with clear water. Quickly checking the previous room, I accepted that there was no other water in the place. What I would drink and use to wash. Would the water bucket refill itself? What about the bread? "Does the bucket refill?" I finally asked the air, it had answered my question before so it was worth asking again. "The bucket refills when empty and not in use" the voice dispassionately spoke. "Does the room clean itself?" "This is not a required part of your upkeep, so no. However, you can purchase this using your points" Again, it mentions points. And I''d consider a clean living space as a required part of my upkeep. "What if it gets really dirty" I persisted, surely it doesn''t consider bio-hazardous waste to be livable! "If it reaches the standard where it no longer fits your necessities for upkeep, then it will be remedied" So live like a pig until it fixes itself, got it. "How can I earn points?" I asked again. But much like before, the voice didn''t answer. "How can I spend points?" I asked, the voice didn''t answer. It didn''t answer when I asked how many points I had. How to meet other players, what was 2 + 2. Leaving the ''bathroom'' I walked over and looked down on my new bed with reluctance, it was better than the floor I reluctantly decided as I undressed before finally lying on the bed and wrapping the blanket around myself. The adrenaline leaving me made me realize just how tired I was as I closed my eyes, the room''s lights dimming automatically. Sleepy and ready to call it a night, I fell asleep despite the hard surface beneath the thin bed. When I next woke up the walls were glowing again, I had no idea if it was morning or not. I winced, my body felt sore. Sitting up and letting the blanket fall away, I looked around. It really wasn''t a dream. Stumbling to my feet, I had to first answer one of my most urgent needs, and face a new fear. The hole. Let me tell you, any thought of sleep quickly disappeared when I approached that black void in the floor. Just looking at it, you could tell that it wouldn''t hesitate to destroy anything that enters it. And there''s nothing to stop me slipping and sticking a foot inside... Washing up from a meter away, I watched it all drain away with nary a sound into the dark hole. I shivered again, never going to approach that hole. Taking a drink of water which refilled itself when I looked away, I chewed on the thankfully not hard bread as I sat on the bed pondering what to do. My muscles still ached from the night''s sleep, my neck had a nasty crick in it. Sitting on the bedding, looking at the softly glowing green door that led back to the main room I pondered what to do. Returning to Earth, not a good option. By this point I was willing to bet that the governments had the doorways on full lockdown and were actively experimenting on bypassing the restrictions. It wouldn''t surprise me if they found a way already to move objects through the doors. So returning to that area had it''s risks, I knew the doorways protected me from gunfire... But what if the guns are already inside? I know that this problem would only escalate the longer time went on, their desperation growing as time passes. But, this is my life now and I wasn''t prepared to give it up. Not until I had a reason. So that option was off the table. There was the option of staying in this room forever, living like a poor man in conditions I already found tiresome. Nothing interesting to do around here either. Still an option, but one I liked less and less. The last two options were the community hub and the doorway to the contests. I wanted to know what the contests were even more than I wanted to visit the community hub, but there''s a chance I can''t go back if I enter the contests area, such as it forces me into something. While the community hub had it''s own risks, the name indicated that only other heroes were able to access this. So a place that I shouldn''t be persecuted just because I was the first person to enter. For sure it has its own risks, namely people attacking me. But it said community hub, and that''s not really a community hub if people could attack you at any moment? I wasn''t sure. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Not sure yet why they would attack you, but there''s always an ass ready to screw you over. "Can people attack me in the community hub?" I tested the voice and waited. But the voice didn''t respond. I tried a few more times with different questions before finally giving up. It didn''t seem to respond to questions deemed unnecessary, or non-relevant. It had explained more when I entered new areas. I sighed, my path forwards seemed clear. I''m likely to find out more information inside the community hub, rather than rushing blindly into the contests room which by definition, contains more danger. With another soft sigh, I dressed and slid my new shoes on before striding towards the green door. Exiting it, I looked over the circular room which looked just the same as before. The grey door and the purple door lay before me. I sighed again, reluctance filling me. I didn''t like this manner of blindly walking into a situation I had no control over. Reaching out towards the purple door, contrary to my expectations when I tried to enter; Instead of passing through, the surface was solid. "To enter the community hub, each hero must first prove they are worthy" the voice intoned. I grimaced, again a situation out of my control. I wanted to enter the community hub even more. I turned to face the gray door reluctantly. I looked again towards the green door, I could always live inside there couldn''t I? Returning home was out of the question at this point, every door out of this place would surely be guarded. If I return, I can''t just disappear without being caught almost immediately. In the scenario where my life isn''t ruined by entering their clutches, I would only be relevant for a limited period of time, milking the fame of being the first one inside and consequently the one who gave it all up out of fear. Signing book deals for my best seller "That hero could''ve been me!" and giving speeches on how great it was, the mysteriousness of it all and how I wish I stayed inside. I sighed again, it really drove in the reality didn''t it. I have the chance of a lifetime right now, and I wanted to give it up. Granted, I still didn''t know the reality of this place but I still have to stride forwards. Even if I ignored the part where I alone apparently represented my home''s chances of survival. I tested the gray door, and with a sinking heart saw that it was definitely something I can walk through. Doing so, the voice rang out again as I absorbed the view before me. Somehow, I knew that voice was being played all across the world. "From the moment the hero stepped inside the contest area, Earth gained 10 points. Each week, a point will be deducted from Earth''s pool. Once the pool hits zero, Earth will be destroyed" My heart dropped, blood drained from my face and I stood there. Stunned at the sight, stunned at what I had just heard. I now know for a fact that even if it hadn''t been before, my face was definitely going to show on national news. Anyone that hears about me, knows who I am, what I am capable of. They''re going to want me dead. Removed from the picture. I can''t do this. "The contest area is where the hero can pick assignments to complete, picking an assignment will reward the hero, and your world; Points" I looked around as the voice spoke, a giant black wall stretched before me with leaflets of paper seemingly scattered over the wall and occasionally fluttering from unseen hands. Sometimes, a paper would detach itself from the wall where it faded into the air before another paper faded in to replace it. As I looked around, it wasn''t a giant wall I dimly realized. This was a giant room. The place glowed with it''s own inner light, the gray ground, walls and room not seemingly being the source of light as it had been in the other rooms. The light seemed to come from the air itself. The same black disk in the center of the room lay there. "Different assignments abound, many choices to pick from. Each assignment lists the details and the reward attached to the assignment. If the hero succeeds in death, the points will still be rewarded." the voice continued dispassionately. "The assignments are shared with many other worlds, if an assignment is taken, it will be removed from the walls of the other worlds. The points can be used in trade in the community hub, or to improve aspects of your hero''s base." "To accept each request, 10% of the reward''s points rounded up will be taken as collateral" My legs were weak at this point, this was far and beyond something I can handle. Sitting abruptly on the floor, my legs like wet noodles I shuddered for breath. Fright overwhelmed me when I finally realized I''m in far beyond my head. Minutes passed as I began to calm down, my eyes closed as I tried to block out the soft rustle of paper. Finally letting out a deep breath, I crawled dispiritedly over to the nearby wall to look at the slips of paper. I had no desire to, the door stood at the side silently, the gray surface as unassuming as ever. I looked over the papers intently, noting their information as my face fell yet again. The requests on the paper... They were simple, absurdly so. Not even decoration on the papers, just simple lettering. Slay the Goblin King - 30 points reward Deliver the Flower - 700 points reward Battle Royale - 20 point entry cost, 780 points reward Exorcise Ghost - 40 points reward I focused as I thought, there''s a reward for each paper, and the rewards were likely matched up with the difficulty level. A goblin king, that was doubtlessly out of my league. The flower reward, it''s extremely high but also obviously had some elements in it that affected the difficulty level. The ghost was on a even higher level than the goblin king reward, so clearly it should be more difficult. I had a strong feeling throwing salt wasn''t going to help. The battle royale, my heart quavered as I looked at it. I know what a battle royale is, that''s a fight to the death among many people. And even as I looked at that piece of paper, the reward changed to 800 points. People are actually signing up for it. Shivering, I slowly stumbled to my feet and dragged myself through the gray doorway, not stopping until I reached my room where I collapsed onto my thin mattress and quavered in fear. I regretted. I regretted taking the shoes, I regretted not accepting the beating. I regretted not leaving through another doorway immediately, and I regretted stepping through the gray doorway. That''s what triggered all of this. The system would''ve taken care of me if I hadn''t stepped through the gray doorway, there would have been no pressure on me, just slow leisurely days of eating and sleeping as I wallowed like a cow in beautiful obliviousness instead of this nightmare. I cried myself into slumber, the exhaustion overtaking me. 3. A tasty box When I woke up, I stared blankly ahead at the dimly glowing wall, blinking as the memories of what happened assaulted me. I felt like crying again as I huddled in my bed. The light dimmed itself in response as I sniveled. After what seemed like hours I finally calmed down, grabbing my daily rations of bread and chewing it before forcibly swallowing it down. After a few moments, I blearily realized that I had only looked at a few slips of paper, surely they were not all like this? There should be a few easy requests among all of those papers. I sat there for a few moments, unable to rouse myself to get up. Finally I breathed out, climbing to my feet and slowly walking towards the green door. Stepping out, I glanced around in hopes of a change in the doorways before reluctantly walking through the gray door. The same giant room awaited me, fluttering pieces of paper gently floating through the air with a quiet whisper as I looked around. I had a thought, the voice could answer some questions for me shouldn''t it? "Are" my voice croaked, I cleared my throat. "Are there easy requests?" I inquired. "Yes, unless you wish to sort through the requests this function can be purchased through points" I grimaced. "What''s the minimum payout?" I tried again, are they all going to be high level? Is this information free? "There is no set minimum payout" I mentally sneered at the voice, the heck does that even mean. There has to be a minimum payout. Even if its 0. I already had a feeling what the voice would say, but I still asked. "Can I get more information on each request?" "The information displayed can be improved through a purchase of points" "How many points?" I pressed. "Which aspect would you like more information on" The voice clearly was smart enough to follow what I''m talking about, so why did it ignore my previous questions? Do I unlock more access to information as time goes on? "Chances of success" I stated, my major and biggest concern. The voice paused for a slight second, "3,300,000,000 points" ... Did it just say 3 billion points? "Rankings of danger?" I tried. "Personalized, 3,000,000,000 points. Generic, 2,000 points" the voice replied. "Generic?" I asked, I knew the word, but. "The average danger for the request" I sighed. 3 billion points though, that''s basically impossible. Though... "Can I get a loan?" I tried. The voice didn''t answer. I waited half a minute hoping the voice was just calculating but it just didn''t reply. So clearly not a question worth answering. "What''s the smartest thing I can spend my points on?" I tried. Again, no answer. I recalled that the voice said that 10% of the points would be taken per request, which meant I would likely be spending a minimum of 1 point for a request. I hope it rounded down. "Can I buy items with my points?" I asked, I can''t do the stuff with as I am now. Perhaps I can buy something good? Each point is worth 10% of Earth''s life after all. "The system permits upgrades to the base using your points, you can buy items from other players" "What if I buy a sword for training" I asked, "Can I take that inside?" "No" That''s absolutely bullshit. What about the food in my stomach then, is that going to disappear when I go inside a request? For an instant, I felt anger at the stupid system before it died down again. I sighed. "How do I buy items from other players?" The voice was silent. I groaned in frustration. "Open auction" the voice was silent, "Open shop" the voice was silent, "Buy sword from another player for 1 point" the voice was silent and nothing happened. I then asked about my points to make sure it hadn''t gone ahead and purchased something. "How many points do I have" "You have 10 points" If I guessed correctly, the voice was silent because this was a community hub thing, and I couldn''t access that yet. And I can''t buy anything to take inside with me either. I laughed bitterly, it''s like this was meant to screw me over. "How do I get items, without buying them" I asked. "Bring them from your world, acquire them from the community hub or gain them through the requests" the voice dispassionately replied. "What if I find a sword inside the request? Do I keep that?" I tried to clarify, would it take that sword? The voice didn''t seem to care as it replied "If it doesn''t interfere with the requirements, it will not be taken" Er. "Can you rephase that?" "If the item is not bound to the request, it can be taken" "Rephase?" "You can take the item if it''s not a part of the request" That makes even less sense. "Rephase?" "The item can be taken if the item is not required to complete the request, and is not an item that exists only in the request" Finally! I can somewhat understand that. But still... "What do you mean, exists only in the request?" "If the item cannot be taken out of the request" I sighed, but the voice didn''t seem to mind re-explaining things... "Could you give an example?" The voice paused, perhaps for the first time as it seemingly accessed information. "On earth you have quest items, once the quest finishes; the quest item will be removed from your inventory". I understood that, but the fundamental problem was still at hand. I still have nothing, and Earth isn''t going to be generous to me unless they have no choice. And if I return into a position that they can affect me, they''ll have a choice. I still had my fears from before, I''m afraid that they''ll find a way to bypass the door''s protections. "Can items pass through the doors?" I asked. "Yes" "Am I in danger if I return?" the voice didn''t respond. I tried again, "Can they hurt me from outside the doorways?" and again it didn''t respond. "Are there dangerous substances inside the room" I tried yet again to no avail. "Can they fire a gun inside the room?" I asked, it was my main concern. And yet, the voice did not respond. Finally, I tried "Can I pick which items pass through?" "No" "Are there limitations on what can pass through?" There had to be, the gun was fired at me and yet I was unharmed. But, again, there was no response from the voice. I gave up. So the items thing is going to be an issue, which means I should pick the easiest request I could. I believe that once I''ve done one of these, I can access the community hub. Looking at the nearby pieces of paper, I began systematically rejecting every request over 10 points. Which was a lot of them. I had no intentions to play the Game of Doom, didn''t care to join a Death Race, don''t believe I can outwit the devil, not with a reward of 400 points. The requests varied heavily, but the majority seemed to have a common theme. Death is possible. Finally I settled on 5 requests, I had a few others but those requests were quickly taken as I continued browsing through them. I even saw a request marked with 0 points, I think. It was taken before it even faded in. Solve a Puzzle, 5 points Deliver the Cake, 2 points Footrace, 2 points entry, 32 points reward Solve the Mystery, 10 points Hide and Seek, 1 point entry, 7 points reward I hadn''t yet touched the pieces of paper, I wasn''t sure what would happen if I touched the papers and the voice didn''t respond when I asked. Instead I remembered each paper''s position as I browsed. I looked them over again. The footrace one seemed to be the most popular, but I decided to reject it. Only one entry since I had last looked, and while I do think I''m fast, I have no illusions about myself. The solve the mystery one was ultimately rejected as well, too much points. The puzzle was rejected too, it gave me a funny feeling, like there''s something more behind it. Between the cake and hide and seek, I finally picked the cake. I don''t know what happens to the losers, and I have no idea what the other players are like. I also have zero intentions of joining a potential battle royale. I''d fight if I must, but I choose not to. Reaching up, I touched the cake request then pulled the paper off the wall. "You''ve chosen to Deliver the Cake for a reward of 2 points" the voice said, I knew it was being broadcasted over the world. "One point has been deducted as the price. Nine points remain" The voice paused, then it continued "Step on the transportation, when ready say ''transport''" I grimaced, I had hoped it would be rounded down. Which means of the 2 point reward, I''m getting a single point. Just one more week for Earth if I succeed. I reconsidered, maybe I should try do some training before entering. I thought again about just giving this all up, either returning to Earth or waiting out the timer until Earth falls. Just as quickly I gave up on both ideas. I know myself, and I knew that if I delayed things that I''d find it hard to gather the courage to approach this room again. Already I was prepared to give up. My legs shook unsteadily as I breathed harshly, chokingly walking up to the black disk in the room. Swallowing, I took several deep breaths before whispering "transport", brain screaming at me to stop. To think this over. To take a break, and don''t come back. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I felt the falling sensation, blinking unwillingly and forcing a sudden change of surroundings to the middle of a rural dirt road. I looked around, lush plants and trees reared about me with a hard dirt road ahead and behind me. The sun shone down the sky behind me, blinding me momentarily as I blinked and glanced back. Squeezing my eyes with discomfort I looked down, ruts had been worn into the dirt. Bikes? Despite being fresh, the marks didn''t appear to be treaded. There was also a small package sitting beside me unassumingly. Picking it up reluctantly, I could smell a warm sugary aroma. The cake was inside I guessed. But, where the heck am I delivering this? And worst of all, I felt like this place could be hiding any amount of monsters. It reminded me of Earth, I would bet it''s Earth. But the plants were not something I recognized, not unless mossy leaves was in and there was no way I''d just be sent back to Earth. I shivered, the bushes rustled threateningly and the skies seemed to darken momentarily. Sucking in a deep breath, I looked around then did the very first thing I should''ve done already. "Where do I deliver the cake?" I questioned out loud, waiting for the voice to respond. "What am I meant to do?"... "What are heroes?" I desperately asked, the voice definitely knew how to respond to this. But... The voice wasn''t responding. "Console" I tried, "Server", "Base", "Overlord" and many other variations. I even tried the classical rpg commands. But, the voice ignored me. My heart sunk a little as I looked at the rough wooden box in my hands, where am I meant to deliver this? I quickly checked the outside of the box, then looked at the small twine latch. The request didn''t say I couldn''t open it? The information might be inside... I told myself this, knowing full well I was probably lying to myself. But two branches of the road stretched out and I would inevitably pick the wrong path. Even if I reached a house, I would never know if I had to deliver it there. Placing the box on the ground, I carefully unlooped the twine on the latch before slowly and carefully lifting the wooden lid. Nothing happened as I revealed the contents, a plain brown cake, not even iced. I sniffed it experimentally, it didn''t smell like anything special. Just the same sugary smell of cake. I expected a chocolate smell at least. Checking the underside of the lid and the contents carefully without disturbing the cake, I closed and re-latched the box with disappointment. I tried checking my clothes again, checking the surrounding ground. Checking the nearby bushes and even looking down both sides of the track where I had spawned in. Finally I sat down and thought, how would I know the path to take? It only took a few moments to realize that I had probably been facing the correct direction when I joined the world. I then struggled to remember which direction I had been facing, I began to panic. Then I remembered that the sun had blinded me when I looked behind. The sun was higher, but I now knew the direction I had been facing. Picking up the box, I tucked it beneath an arm and started walking. An hour passed, two. The same track lay before me. Three hours, four. On the fourth hour the first sign of life was revealed to me, a man dragging a small wheeled cart behind him. What made my brow crinkle was the roughness of his clothing. "Ahoy" he called, raising an arm in greeting. I halfheartedly returned the greeting, staring at him and the poor quality goods on his cart. He didn''t say a word as he passed me, and I didn''t know what to ask him. A few minutes later I belatedly hit myself, I should''ve asked him where I am. I resolved to ask the next person I saw, which happened to be another hour later. I had already taken two breaks at this point, the constant walking having worn me out. While I was sitting on my third break another man and a boy approached. Seeing that I was taking a break, they followed my example and sat next to me. "¦¥?¦Í¦Á¦É ¦Ì¦É¦Á ¦Ø¦Ñ¦Á?¦Á ¦Ò¦Ó¦É¦Ã¦Ì? ¦Ã¦É¦Á ¦Í¦Á ¦Ó¦Á¦Î¦É¦Ä?¦×¦Å¦Ó¦Å" he greeted me, I didn''t understand a single freaking word he was saying. I politely smiled and nodded, then closed my eyes. Sensing my desire for quietness, he didn''t say anything. Minutes passed before I finally grabbed the box and left, still not having said a word to them. I knew they wouldn''t understand English, I knew that this had to be another world. Another world, where I can''t understand the language. I''d argue for a third world country, but the people were white and didn''t seem foreign, the products they were wearing all looked rough. Not produced by companies. The requests didn''t sound like I''ll be sent back to Earth either. So with that logic, I reached my conclusion. This is obviously and definitely not Earth. I silently swore to myself as I continued walking, leaving the man and boy behind. Not knowing anything was one problem, entirely another problem when you can''t even communicate. I already know my clothes must stand out, it was of better quality than theirs. I had no intentions of standing out further by opening my mouth. Ahead of me the track lead into a small village, at the end of the small village I could see a larger house than the others. They were all constructed of rough wood but the larger house seemed to have been painted a pale white. As I walked closer to the village I could see more people, but my footsteps finally stuttered to a halt when I saw someone standing in front of the white house. I was close enough that I could see her clothes were made from beastskins, nothing like the rougher woven clothes of everyone else. The toned woman also seemed fierce, her brown hair dirty and a bad scar running down her cheek. But what really made me stop was the way she was grinning fiercely and unfriendly at me, and how her eyes were fixated on my box. Now, call me stupid but the way she was treating me really made me think she wasn''t here to accept delivery. This also made me remember the one request I had seen. "Assassinate the Guards". I knew there were requests that other players could participate in, but that request had another beside it. "Defend the King". So really, my first thought was that she''s here to kill me. And seeing her eyes fixate on the box, she was most definitely here for the cake. The long white bone knife she had taken from her belt as she slowly stalked her way to me, her movements reading of readiness to begin running also made up my mind for me. Quickly placing the box on the ground, I began rapidly stepping away with my hands in the air. "I give up!" I repeatably and desperately began to yell. Feeling mildly ashamed at myself for doing so. But she definitely knew how to fight, and I had no weapon. She paused and watched me, her brows raised and mouth slowly forming into a smirk. But she didn''t continue to approach me or the box, just standing with a grin watching as I backed up. I continued moving away carefully as she watched me without comment. With only occasional glances when I finally turned around to try express as obviously as I could through body language that I was giving up, I sighed with relief when it appeared she wouldn''t be following. She wants to have the freaking cake? Take it. I bet it doesn''t even taste good. Entering the path, I finally felt safe enough to start running away. I ran until I was exhausted, then broke into the surrounding vegetarian and hid. 20 minutes must have passed by before my vision flickered again. The voice announced over the world "Deliver the Cake has failed" I sat there on the black circle, shaking in the same position I had been hiding. That girl had no qualms about fighting, that''s what made up my mind. Her knife looked sharp, it also had a faint edge of pink on it that clearly wasn''t washing off. I had no illusions that she was fully prepared to end me. What''s worse, I still didn''t have a weapon. I would''ve broken off a stick from a tree if I knew I was safe to make noise, but so great was my fear that I dared not to. Idly I wondered if I could use the hole to sharpen it for me. I sighed, finally unfurling and climbing to my feet. Leaving the gray room, I returned to my quarters and sat down on my thin mattress. The half eaten loaf of bread was where I left it, I munched and drank water as I considered things. For a measly two point reward, I still had someone fully prepared to kill me. It wasn''t someone I was confident of beating either, that girl was toned. The skins she wore were tightly wrapped, leaving her soles, hands, elbows, face and knees bare. It screamed of a professional job, and the confident way she drew that knife told me she''s used to killing. I doubt I ever had a chance to defeat her. I mused though, my earlier assumption that she was also on a request still struck true to me. The other people in the world were giving her glances, staring at her. A few looked at me, but their interest moved on faster than it did for her. How many points was she promised? Taking deep breaths, I finally entered the bathroom and washed myself down. Standing far away from the hole as I slowly dried in the warm air. Retreating to my bed, I decided to go to bed early, my body was sore and my mind was stressed. I was in no further condition to play around today. 4. A bulge? The next morning, I tried to enter the community hub. But the voice intoned the same message. "To enter the community hub, each hero must first prove they are worthy" I entered the gray room instead and began searching through the requests. Four requests were lined up, after two hours these were the only ones that matched my hopes of success. Every request 5 points or higher were automatically rejected by me, I had no hopes to accomplish them. I still left the eating request in as it appeared to be a group activity, not an actual difficulty measure. My real concern with that request was if the eating contest wasn''t harmless fruit pies. It seemed popular though, someone new seemed to join in every 10 minutes. Eating Contest - 2 points entry, 90 points reward Deliver a Letter - 3 points reward Find a lost ring - 3 points reward Clean SCP-173''s room - 4 points reward The SCP thing struck a really faint bell, but I couldn''t tell what. The letter delivery sounds a lot like the the cake delivery request, and I already knew how that ended. So I expect I''d be trying to avoid someone... Which reminds me, I couldn''t understand the language last time either. The other one is the lost ring, but it''s frightfully vague. I think I might keep the ring after finishing it, which is something I''m inclined towards. There was a faint hope that the ring would be useful. It also sounds like I don''t have to fight anyone, just try find it. But if that''s the case, 3 points? There''s definitely difficulty in it. If I had to measure it against the cake request, then I''d definitely say 1-2 points of the difficulty is just finding the ring. And the other points are because there''s a trick, maybe another competitor or perhaps monsters to fight. The best example I could think of is that the ring is inside a wolf den. It''s also a ring, so there obviously should be humans. But the chances were solid I can''t speak their language and thus inquire about it. Charades might work, but they may also think I''m trying to say something lewd when trying to act out a ring on my finger. I''m leaning towards the clean room request, it strikes a chord in me. I''ve seen that name before, vaguely. Something about paranormal activity? I stared thoughtfully at it for a minute. Finally I sighed, I can''t take that request. It sounds good, but 4 points? Having made my decision, I reached out and took the request I''d chosen. The voice then spoke, again broadcasting across the world. "You''ve chosen to Deliver a Letter for a reward of 3 points. One point has been deducted as the price. Eight points remain" "Step on the transportation, when ready say ''transport''" I didn''t go straight onto the black disk however, instead I held the piece of paper as I moved back towards my living quarters. I was relived that the paper still remained in my grip, resisting my sweaty palms and failing to crease. Ready to be used when I was ready. Once there, I took a drink and ate some bread, looking at the paper still in my hand. Sitting on the mattress, I tried to calm down, my fingers were trembling as they clutched the paper. I took deep breaths, drawing one in before letting it back out. Finally I let out a soft sigh and stood back up, it''s time to leave then. I felt refreshed, slightly sore and maybe a little weak in my limbs, but it was as good as I was going to get. Moving back to the room, I stood on the black disk, grimacing as I looked at the paper in my hands. I wish I found an easier request. "Transport" There was a slight jolt to the side, then I was standing inside a small store. I looked around curiously, this store seemed modern. Overly so. Why, if it wasn''t for the utterly unrecognizable symbols that replaced actual words. I''d think I''m right at home! "¦§ ¦Å¦Ð¦É¦Ò¦Ó¦Ï¦Ë? ¦Ò¦Á?, ¦Ê?¦Ñ¦É¦Å." a guy interrupted me, holding out a slim letter. I had a bitter expression on my face as I turned to him, already realizing this translation issue was happening again. "You speak english?" I hopefully inquired. "¦ª?¦Ñ¦É¦Å? ¦¥¦Ä? ¦Å?¦Í¦Á¦É ¦Ç ¦Å¦Ð¦É¦Ò¦Ó¦Ï¦Ë? ¦Ò¦Á? ..." he seemed a little concerned as I didn''t immediately take it. Finally I sighed, not his fault I supposed. Grabbing the letter and immediately sticking it down my pants, I ignored the startled expression on the postmaster''s face as I stepped out of the small store and into a busy modern day city. It smelled like home, it sounded like home and if it wasn''t for the men standing in duos on some roofs with guns scanning the crowds, I might believe this world was civilized. The cars were also a bit different, with another gunman on the ground hailing them at random to speak with them briefly before letting them go, his fellow watching their surroundings warily. They all wore an uniform, army I guess. I looked at one a little too long and he glared at me, lifted his gun strap in intimidation as I hurriedly looked back down. The streets I peered at, even in the far distance I could see men on rooftops. What was this, an army occupation? I didn''t recognize this place either, not from my hometown obviously. Invaded country? Thankfully my clothing didn''t stick out here, my clothes were still cleanish and a lot of people seemed to be wearing casuals. They all had harried looks on their faces, worry lines worn deeply into their faces and strangely I didn''t see any kids. Schoolday? Hope I don''t get picked up, I should look old enough to pass as an adult I mused. When I had accepted the letter I''d glanced at the address on the envelope, but it was utter gibberish. The letter itself didn''t seem confidential either, the postmaster didn''t look very concerned about it. So it was probably safe to openly carry it and ask for directions. Looking around for someone that looked agreeable, my eyes landed on a well dressed woman that strode through the crowds as if there was no one there. She stood out in her tailored black business suit that reeked of wealth, a black orb held loosely in her hand as she walked with purpose, the gunmen carefully avoiding looking her way. The way the crowd seemed to part had caught my attention, her figure held it. But what really alarmed me was the sheer intensity of her gaze towards the post office which I''d just left. She stepped inside, and I had a sudden gut feeling that I must run. She was doubtlessly my competitor this time, and she looked capable. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I started pushing my way through the crowds, drawing attention from the men on the rooftops as I made my way through the streets in a hurry. A few of them started to talk on radios, but I had no time to slow down as I left the busy streets behind and entered less well traveled roads. Not as many men on the roofs now, instead they seemed to be sitting on a bench watching everyone, patrolling down the paths with an eye out. Occasionally they''d pick up their radios then talk to it for a few seconds, then glance at me. They''d then answer back into the radios without approaching me or expressing the intent to. For that, I was glad. I knew they were talking about me, but I was more afraid of that woman than I was of them. Evidentially this wasn''t a violent occupation by enemy forces as the people hadn''t seemed fearful, just exhausted. A leadership coup? Keeping an eye on me at any rate, I didn''t doubt that if I kept acting strangely I''d be picked up. I wanted directions, and I wanted to finish this as soon as I could. I briefly considered approaching one of the soldiers then shuddered. I don''t speak the language and that sounds like something to investigate. Instead I looked around as I slowly walked through the roads, trying to recognize one of the many street signs I saw until I found an older woman who seemed nice enough. Approaching her, I took out the letter from where she couldn''t see, ignoring the disgust on the two soldiers faces as I presented it towards her. She blinked at me curiously, then made to take the letter from me. Shaking my head, I pointed inside to the address on the letter. Her eyes then sparkled in understanding as she gave me a small smile. Speaking rapidly, she pointed forwards, left, forwards as she spoke before she finished with a question? I think. I nodded, widely smiled at her and left. That''s an idea actually, I could point at my mouth and indicate I''m mute. That''s why I can''t talk. Then point at my ears and indicate I''m deaf. That''s why I don''t understand. Then when they write for me, I point at my eyes and indicate I''m illiterate. Foolproof. They''ll be forced to point directions out to me. The first two streets were simple enough, she said to go forwards then left. I hope she didn''t say something like "Go on the second road" because if so... The letter did have a house number on it, luckily enough. Weird that, it shouldn''t look the same. So I easily marked off the streets which had numbers going the wrong way. On the way I heard a loud explosion, was that woman fighting someone? It sounded far away, lots of the soldiers were heading over there which suited me just fine. I faithfully followed the instructions she gave me to the best of my ability down the streets and as I was counting the house numbers to the house I wanted, we saw each other. The lady saw me, I saw her. I didn''t dare hesitate to give her a reason as I strode past her, making my way to the house just a short distance away. But then her eyes flickered to my crotch. Instinctively I tried to protect it using my hands as her mouth twitched in a small smile before flattening out again. "I believe you have something to give me?", she had the gall to smile cheerfully, her voice oddly musical. I knew I was busted, she was definitely here to take the letter, the language thing only proves it. I carefully schooled my features and firmly placed my hands to the sides. "Madam, I am a god fearing Christian" my voice wavered with fear in the center "And I''ve decided to save it for the woman who shall be my wife" She looked at me in disbelief, then back to the tent in my trousers. I placed my hands back over it as she sneered. Decisively less cheerfully she demanded "Hand it over. Would you believe I don''t like killing defenseless children?" "I''m not a child!" I protested, that glance she threw my crotch had rattled me. "You don''t even know how to fight, and you somehow represent your entire world" she sneered, "I think you are a child" "I have no choice!" "And I don''t care". She said bluntly, her brow frowning with irritation. "Hand it over, or I''ll cripple you" I paused with indecision, she seemed gentle? Maybe she''ll let me keep it if I give her a sob story. I looked around for the army that had previously occupied the rooftops, but they''d all left. I heard a soft rustle from her and when I turned back, she was pointing a small black rod into my face. Probably not then. "Well?" she softly asked, her voice melodious to my ears. She leaned in with a whisper that crawled over my skin "I don''t want to kill a child". Her words didn''t sound very sincere. Fumbling, I pulled the letter from my pants and offered it to her with shaky hands. She looked at it with an expression of distaste, then looked down at my pants again for a reason I couldn''t discern. "Did you piss yourself" she scowled. I felt vaguely insulted at this, but had only the courage to mumble "no". She grimaced, reluctantly taking it by the corner with just two fingers as she tugged it out of my grasp. I sighed with mixed feelings, another request failed. But I lived. "How old are you?" she suddenly asked, her rod still pointing straight at my face. She didn''t even look away from the formerly-white letter in her grasp. I felt my prey senses tingling. "13, I matured early" I squeaked out. "You have facial hair?" "I matured really early" She threw me a really suspicious gaze, and I hurried to elaborate "I come from a long line of men" I held my breath in tension, then as she lowered the black cylindrical solid rod we both released a sigh. One of relief, the other of disappointment. She turned away, unafraid to show her back to me as she strode the few steps to the house and knocked on the door. I stood there watching her, even as she studiously ignored me. Half a minute later, the door was opened by an old grandma who looked us over with tired eyes. "Letter for you" the predator smiled, holding it by the corner with as little skin contact as she could even as she offered it to the woman. The old woman made an exclamation of surprise, then grimaced in disgust when she looked at the letter. When she reluctantly took it after some urging, my sweaty nervous self was transported home.